River Arts District Recovery Continues After Hurricane Helene
Overview
Nearly a year after Hurricane Helene devastated Asheville’s River Arts District, the community continues the long process of rebuilding studios, galleries, and small businesses that once made the district a nationally recognized arts destination.
Before the storm, the River Arts District was home to nearly 750 artists and makers, forming one of the largest concentrations of working artists in the Southeast. Floodwaters from the French Broad River reached more than 24 feet, destroying studios, equipment, and decades of artistic work.
Today, artists, volunteers, and small business owners continue to rebuild the district piece by piece.
From the Article
Jeffrey Burroughs, president of River Arts District Artists, described the scale of the devastation and the determination of the arts community to rebuild.
“People were prepared because this area has flooded before. They moved everything up. Nobody anticipated second floors would flood. That’s not something you even conceive. All of a sudden, it was like a lake opened in the middle of our town.”
Despite the scale of the damage, artists and business owners quickly began rebuilding through volunteer networks, community partnerships, and grassroots coordination.
“We’re an arts community. We’re visionaries and we’re people who do and make. So of course we didn’t wait for anybody. We just started showing up and doing things that needed to be done.”
A Community Rebuilding Together
The River Arts District continues to reopen in phases as artists return to studios and businesses rebuild infrastructure. While the recovery process remains ongoing, the district’s collaborative spirit has become a model for community-driven recovery.
As Burroughs reflected in the article:
“The River Arts District is more than a place. It is a living, breathing testament to the power of creativity and community. In the face of disaster, our artists didn’t just rebuild. They reimagined what’s possible.”